Chapter 325: Fat and Timid Giant Whale General

Most of the villagers' torches had gone out, and many were soaked to the bone. The immediate danger seemed to have passed, but the cold became even more biting.

"Ugh... it's so cold. Master, can we leave now?"

"Master, did that monster get scared away?" "I'm freezing to death!"

The Master rubbed his hands and wrung out his clothes. Fortunately, his spiritual energy protected him from shivering uncontrollably.

"Let's go, let's go! The monster has been scared off, we should leave quickly!"

"Everyone, let's move!" "Hurry, go home! I'm freezing to death!"

"Master, that monster just yelled for an expert to show himself. Are there other masters nearby?"

"That's an expert from my sect. I, the Master, had already discerned that the monster in your eastern region was no ordinary creature, so I specifically invited a grandmaster from my lineage to descend the mountain and assist. Now that the monster has fled, my grandmaster must be pursuing it. Everyone can rest assured!"

The crowd noisily retreated. They had arrived in a mighty, imposing procession, but now they were a disorganized mess, most of their extinguished torches discarded.

"Watch your step! Don't trip, and don't get too close to the coast!"

"Everyone, keep an eye on your family and friends; see if anyone has fallen behind."

Some elders occasionally shouted instructions within the group.

Zhang Fu, Liang Pingle, and the others were also running and shivering when they heard these shouts, and suddenly realized something.

"Oh no! Where's Mr. Ji?"

Zhang Fu's loud shout made both the Liang and Zhang families stop in their tracks.

"Quick, look around and see if Mr. Ji is here!" "Yes, yes, hurry and look!"

"Mr. Ji, Mr. Ji, are you there?" "Mr. Ji!"

The two families looked around; all they saw were hunched villagers running back. A few torches dimly lit the path ahead, but they didn't illuminate much within the crowd. For a while, Ji Yuan was nowhere to be seen.

Before long, almost everyone had passed them, running ahead.

The four men—fathers and sons from the Zhang and Liang families—looked at each other. Only Zhang Fu still held a torch, which barely illuminated a small area around them, swaying precariously in the sea breeze.

The direction they had come from was pitch black, as if a fierce beast lurked hidden in the sea.

Gritting his teeth, Zhang Fu's father, the village's renowned boatman, spoke.

"Let's go back and search again!"

The few of them hesitated for a moment, then followed old Zhang back to where the torch formation had been.

Under the light of Zhang Fu's sole remaining torch, the surrounding shore was littered with discarded wet torches, and the waves in the sea continued to crash ceaselessly.

The distant sea surface was pitch black. Zhang Fu shone the torch below the coast, but saw nothing except the white foam of the waves.

"If he fell down there..."

"Mr. Ji, Mr. Ji, are you there? Please, come back to the village!"

"Mr. Ji..."

The few of them shouted a few more times towards the shore and the sea, but the only response was the howling wind and the crashing waves. The flame of Zhang Fu's torch flickered, looking like it wouldn't last much longer.

"Ugh... it's so cold! We're soaked to the bone, we can't stay in this wind!"

"Maybe... maybe Mr. Ji has already gone ahead, and we just didn't see him?"

"That's possible..." "Yes, our torch won't last much longer. Let's hurry back; maybe Mr. Ji is waiting for us!"

"That's right, Mr. Ji is a grown man who has traveled widely; he'll definitely be fine..."

Watching the torches of the large group ahead recede into the distance, the few who were both cold and afraid hesitated, then finally began to follow.

At this very moment, Ji Yuan was treading the waves. He appeared to move with unhurried grace, yet he was swiftly traversing the sea surface at a speed not much slower than on land.

Before Ji Yuan reached 'Five Qi Completion,' he could still accomplish similar feats, but not with such effortless ease. It would have been strenuous, far less convenient than direct flight or controlling the water to ride the waves.

Now, however, Ji Yuan had an internal and external affinity with the Five Elements Qi. Each step on the tide felt like a spring, and the rising and falling waves did not affect his speed in the slightest. Not only did he expend very little magical power, but he also felt as light and ethereal as an immortal.

The distant giant whale continued to swim madly underwater, moving away from the shore and simultaneously diving frantically deeper.

Ji Yuan trailed behind it, not entering the water, following it for what must have been tens of miles offshore.

At this point, the giant whale, already hundreds of feet beneath the surface, slowly began to float up. As water slid off its back, its enormous back was revealed once more.

The giant whale's eyes gazed far towards the coastline, its tail swaying back and forth. Its fins couldn't reach the middle and rear of its body, so it could only use a current of water to rub the lower side of its mid-back.

There was a small spot on its back throbbing with intense pain, which hadn't subsided. That moment, in particular, had been excruciating.

Just as an ordinary person would instinctively shake their hand if suddenly pricked, the giant whale thrashed wildly. Yet, it also possessed a keen sense of danger, causing it to immediately flee towards the open sea.

After fleeing for some time and sensing no pursuit, it cautiously surfaced to investigate.

The distant horizon was pitch black, with no sound or light.

'It seems they've let me go?'

The giant whale swam in circles for a few moments, undecided whether to leave this area and go to another body of water.

'To act on behalf of mortals, this must be one of those meddlesome immortal cultivators... It's rare to encounter one, but they don't seem very easy to reason with...'

After hesitating for a while, the giant whale felt hungry. It dived underwater, opened its enormous mouth, and sucked fiercely.

From the surface, the waves didn't seem to change much, but underwater, currents swirled. Countless large and small fish, unable to escape, were pulled by streams of water from afar and sucked into the giant whale's mouth as if by a siphon.

The giant whale's mouth was like a bottomless pit, indiscriminately sucking in fish, shrimp, crabs, and everything else. It finally closed its mouth after what felt like more than a dozen human breaths.

"Crunch, crunch, crunch..."

A grinding sound emanated from the giant whale's belly.

Although Ji Yuan couldn't see what was happening underwater from the surface, he could sense the immense power of the giant whale as it opened its mouth, and the change in the air as countless fish, shrimp, and crabs were drawn in.

No wonder coastal fishermen couldn't catch any fish. They weren't scared away by evil spirits; they were simply being eaten by this Giant Whale General. Every time a new group of fish arrived, they were consumed, leaving nothing for the fishermen.

After this mouthful, the giant whale was not gluttonous; perhaps it was simply full. It surfaced again, still staring in the direction of the coast from which it had fled.

Ji Yuan finally stopped waiting, appearing directly and speaking.

"General Giant Whale, do you still have any lingering attachment to this coast?"

The voice, sounding right beside it, startled the giant whale.

"Oh my..."

It moved its body to look and saw a "tiny figure" standing on the sea surface not far away. He wasn't controlling the water or treading the waves, but seemed to float with the rising and falling waves, as light as a feather.

"You... are you that expert who just attacked me from the shadows?"

"Such harsh words. How can my actions be called a sneak attack? It was merely a slight punishment. You possess the ability to consume vast amounts; you can find fish anywhere. Why do you insist on lingering by the shore when the coastal fishermen can barely make a living?"

Ji Yuan asked with a dismissive smile, then added another question.

"Also, you call yourself General Giant Whale. Which Water Palace's general are you? And where are your troops?"

Now in deeper waters, the giant whale's courage increased slightly.

"Of course, I am General Giant Whale! My sovereign mother appointed me! As for the troops under my command, hmph, I don't care for many of them, so naturally, I don't bring them along. I have my reasons for being at that particular stretch of coast. What business is it of yours?"

Ji Yuan pondered for a moment, then smiled and said to the giant whale.

"Fair enough, but what if I still want to know?"

"Why? If I simply tell you because you want to know, what about my dignity as General Giant Whale?"

Ji Yuan very seriously reached his hand towards the sky, grasping the Green Vine Sword that materialized before him.

"This sword, entwined with green vines, conceals boundless sharpness; it is an immortal sword. To slay a demon like you, it doesn't even need to be fully unsheathed. Why do you think you should tell me? Naturally, it's due to intimidation!"

As he spoke, Ji Yuan gently drew one-third of the Green Vine Sword's blade. A stream of white light swept over the surrounding sea, dimming the starlight in the sky. A bone-piercing cold enveloped the area, and the giant whale's entire massive body stiffened.

This was the first time in its life that it had directly faced the power of an immortal sword. Just seeing a portion of the blade, its mind uncontrollably generated all sorts of terrifying illusions.

It saw silver light falling to dismember it, flying swords circling to strip its bones, an icy release freezing it, and sword light pressing down to crush it...

Ji Yuan was merely trying to scare it, but the giant whale immediately buckled under the pressure. It was a typical example of a "fat body, timid heart," and it cried out in a panic.

"Don't kill me, don't kill me! You'll regret it if you do! I'm waiting for Master Mo along the coast! I'm waiting for Master Mo!"

Ji Yuan sheathed the Green Vine Sword, his heart stirred slightly, and he frowned as he asked.

"Master Mo? Which Master Mo? What's his background? Is he a water creature from the inland waters?"

"Yes, yes, Master Mo is a black dragon with profound cultivation. He passes through here every year. This time, I traveled a long way and waited for over a year, but he didn't show up! I'm not an evil demon who likes to harm people! I'm truly not!"

'Mo Rong!'

Ji Yuan's heart stirred, and that name naturally came to mind—it was Mo Rong, the black dragon who had died after fleeing back to Da Zhen years ago.